The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1887-10-01
the IREADWEll MINE.
One of the Wonders Of Alaska-.-the
Biggest Nine in the World.

on her way to juneau and Douglass
Island. On the latter is the famous
Treadwcll gold mine, about which
so much mystery hangs that the
enquirer finds it very hard to get
any information. The Treadwell
was located only a few years ago,
and at present is without a doubt
the greatest gold mine in the world.
The vein between the foot and hang
ing walls is 463 feet wide and in
exhaustible. 1t is tapped by tun-
mel at the depth of 800 feet, and the
farther down they 60 the richer the
quartz becomes. l went through
the tunnel to the limit of the 500
feet and broke off a specimen or
two from the far end of the vein.
Above, on the hillside, one cannot
realize that it is a gold mine that
is being worked, for it looks like a
huge quarry. The mill is the most
complete in the world, running 12O
stamps night and day all the year
round. Treadwell had great diff
Guilty in inducing capitalists to put
their money in. Expert after ex-
pert came up and viewed the ledge
and reported adversely to it, for on
the surface the ore is Of such low
grade that one and all declared that
it could not possibly be worked at
a profit. But Mr.. Treadwell per-
sistently kept at the capitalists until
he got enough money to put up a
little five-stamp mill. With this he
pounded out enough gold to pay
the expenses of running the tunnel
and the cost Of the little mill.
When his hackers found that the
vein was of immense size, and that
the deeper they sunk the richer
grew the ore, they put up the 12O-
stamp mill, and in November next
120 more stamps will be added,
making 24O stamps working night
and day and making every man
interested in the mine millionaire
a dozen times over. The hackers
of the mine and stock-owners are
Senator Jones. of Nevada, Messrs.
ID. o. Mills, Treadwell, Fry and
Freeborn, of California. How much
gold the mine ships east each month
is jealousy guarded, but this much
is known, that it pays a dividend Of
one dollar a share every month Of
the year, and that when the new
mill is at work they expect to pay
two dollars share every month
Captain Carroll has 1000 shares
for which he paid $4,000, and he
draws 81 900 a month as regularly
as clock work. Not a share of the
stock can be bought at any price
whatever, and it is impossible to
discover how many shares have
been issued. There is in sight now
without any further development
enough ore to run the 240 stamps
at their full capacity, night and day
for one hundred and eight years
and the chutes are only down 29(
feet. Can any other mine in the
world compare with this? The ex
tension Of the Treadwell is owned
by Captain Carroll and two part
ners. Here they have a vein 7O(
feet wide, Of the same quality o
ore that the Treadwell has. There
are negotiations on foot concerning
this mine now, the figure of which
would fairly stagger one, so hlgf
up in the millions are they. BE
vond that, on the same hill, an ole
Montanian, Mr.. Van Brocken, ha!
bought a claim where he has mod
est little vein 900 feet wide, tn
lowest assay running 81 and tn
highest SAC to the ton. 1t is bein:
developed and bids fair to prove
bonanza like the Treadwell. Th'
fact is that Douglass Island is
veritable mountain of gold, such a
the world has never yet seen, ant
the fortunate men who own it vii
ere long rival the Floods and tn
Mackays of bonanza fame. From
Douglass Island it was but a tel
minutes sail to the town of Juneau
where we tied up to the wharf ant
prepared to land. Juneau strag
giles along the beach and scatter
itself after a broken rectangula
plan up a ravine that opens to tn
water front. Lying at the foot OF
vertical mountain wall with slende
cascades rolling like wells of thin
nest lawn" from the snow bank
overhead, sheltered in a curve o
the still channel, Juneau has tn
most picturesque situation of an.
town on the coast. AS a mlnln
settlement the place dates back bu
few years. In 1879 the Indian
gave the fine quartz specimens t
some navy officers, and the summe
following a prospecting party wa
formed at Sitka. They camped o
the site of the present town OF ~
neau, October 1, 1880, and thre
miles back on the creek found ricI
placers and outcropping quart
lodges. The sight of their bags z
specimens and the tales they toi
at Sitka of the rich men OF tn